Banisters
by CheyWolfe
Summary: One day, Ciel is plagued by a childish urge, but hesitant to act on it.


No.

He would _not_ do this. It was childish and simply _unbecoming _of his upbringing and position. He would not give into the temptation. Lizzy had begged him to time after time, and he'd never given in then, so why was it so tempting now, when he was alone? He would not embarrass himself by doing this, especially since that damn demon seemed to always be right around the corner. Not to mention he was incredibly fast and would be done doing his task any second now. It would be humiliating to be discovered by him doing such a juvenile thing.

Oh, but it was so tempting.

No one was around to see him. Finny was tending to the furthest back garden. Bard was sent out by Sebastian to purchase the needed ingredients for dinner. Sebastian also sent Mey-rin out, most likely to keep her from destroying anything else in the manor. Sebastian was tending to the orders he'd been giving, as well as preparing dinner. There was no one even _near_ the place Ciel was standing.

He and Lizzy used to do this often, but that was in a better time, when Lady Rachel and Lord Vincent had been alive. That was back when he had been a child, not the person he was now. He thought he'd left all those childish urges and wants behind him when he'd contracted Sebastian after that month of pure hell. Apparently, some were still left, sitting doormat in his mind until one day when he'd least expected it.

Now Ciel stood at the top of the main flight of stairs in his large and very elegant manor, having the strangest urge to slide down the banister, just as he'd done with Lizzy as a child. He really was trying his hardest to make it go away. He wanted to do it, but he was terrified that Sebastian would discover him. That'd be all it would take to completely obliterate his dignity and pride, both of which he was nothing without. Sebastian wouldn't ever dare tell anyone, but he'd _know_. Every time he would look at Ciel from there on out, he'd be wearing that smirk, the expression that said '_I know what you did, Ciel Phantomhive, and I will never let you live it down_'. Nothing ever got past Sebastian. He already knew enough humiliating things about him. He couldn't let the demon see him indulging in childish acts.

There was a voice in his head, a voice that wouldn't stay quiet, piping up at the worst times to remind him of running down the hallways with Elizabeth, laughing as they slid down the banisters. They would always be scolded by their parents for doing so—and with good reason, too. Ciel had fallen numerous times, and Lizzy even more. Those times seemed so distant, so far, far away. He knew that they were never coming back, but he also knew that he was only thirteen. Was it really so wrong to want to have fun once in a while?

Fun… Ciel remembered fun, too. He missed that. These days he spent his days working with no stops. He never even got to play chess anymore. The closest he ever came to fun was when Lizzy came over or when Lau caused a ruckus, and neither of those were like the fun he remembered. His life was filled with dark things—fires, the underworld, criminals, and other things he dealt with daily. He probably hadn't had fun since the day he became afraid of fire.

Ciel laid a hand on the banister, wondering. Sebastian hadn't seemed to have finished his tasks yet. If he did this quickly, there was nothing to worry about. It'd be alright. No one was around to see him act upon a juvenile urge.

He silently climbed atop the banister, having a bit of trouble doing so, since it was high and there was no one to give him a boost or help him up. He paused, glancing around wildly as if he were doing something illegal, gripping the high banister with both hands. With one final glance behind him, he loosened his hold greatly, still holding on, but just enough so that he wouldn't fall and topple to the ground. He began to slide, the wood surface smooth, just how he remembered it. Faster and faster he went, flying down the banister at an alarmingly fast pace. As he did, he began to smile, for the first time in what seemed like months.

Soon, that smile turned into a small laugh, which really sounded more like a giggle. Down, down, down he flew, leaning forward more out of fear of falling. It felt good. It felt like the fun that had been a mystery to him ever since his parents had died. He glanced behind him again, riding the curves of the long banister just like how he remembered. It was then that he realized that there was a problem that he hadn't factored in—the end of the banister. The main steps had two very elaborate golden poles, one on each side, as the end of the banister. At the speed he was going, once he slammed into it, it was going to hurt. A lot.

Ciel tried to stop himself, knowing how _bad_ this entire idea had been. He should've just gone back into his office and done more work instead of taking a break. Now he couldn't stop unless he fell. Honestly, hitting the end of the banister seemed a lot less painful than falling on the hard floor.

Ciel clenched his eyes shut, preparing for pain, when he heard a shocked yell.

"Young master!"  
>Then, there were hands on him, effectively stopping him from sliding any farther. It was a good thing he'd been stopped when he did. The end was just inches away from his bottom. Slowly, he sat back up on the banister, tightened his grip again on it, and looked straight into the red eyes of the butler-demon.<p>

If he'd ever seen Sebastian shocked…

He _knew_ this would happen. He'd known he'd be caught. And he'd still done it anyways! He was not a child anymore. All the rest of his childhood had been beaten out of him during the month he was used as a sacrifice. Apparently not. There was still a remaining sliver and now that was gone, along with his pride. Still, he didn't say a word. He would not let Sebastian know how humiliated he was, even if he was blushing.

His face red, Ciel hopped down from the banister, and turned away from Sebastian without a word. He started up the stairs, carrying himself with his usual dignity and pride. Still without facing his butler, Ciel spoke firmly, giving him a direct order, "You will never speak of this again."

* * *

><p><strong>I've been rather obsessed with kuro lately.<strong>

**I'm a Loveless writer. This is not my fandom. I hope this story is as much in character as possible. I will be taking my leave now.**

**Please review.**

**~Wolfie**


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